Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary

Leaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.) remove leaf litter and woody debris—potential fuels—in and around their nests and foraging trails. We conducted single and three annual experimental fires to determine the effects of this leaf-cutter ant activity on the behavior of low-intensity, slow-moving fires. In a...

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Main Authors: Karine S. Carvalho, Ane Alencar, Jennifer Balch, Paulo Moutinho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/780713
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author Karine S. Carvalho
Ane Alencar
Jennifer Balch
Paulo Moutinho
author_facet Karine S. Carvalho
Ane Alencar
Jennifer Balch
Paulo Moutinho
author_sort Karine S. Carvalho
collection DOAJ
description Leaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.) remove leaf litter and woody debris—potential fuels—in and around their nests and foraging trails. We conducted single and three annual experimental fires to determine the effects of this leaf-cutter ant activity on the behavior of low-intensity, slow-moving fires. In a transitional forest, where the southern Amazon forest meets the Brazilian savanna, we tested whether leaf-cutter ant nests and trails (i) inhibit fire spread due to a lack of fuels, and (ii), thereby, reduce the total burned area during these experimental low-intensity fires, particularly at forest edges where leaf-cutter ant abundance was higher. Fine-medium fuel mass increased with an increase in distance from ant nest, and the mean area of bare soil was greater on nests than on the forest floor. Between 60 to 90 percent of the unburned area was within 30 m of ant nests, and burned area significantly increased with increasing distance to ant nests. In addition, the number of ant nests declined with increasing distance from the forest edge, and, with exception of the first experimental fire, burned area also increased with increasing distance from the edge. The present study provides new insight to fire ecology in Amazon environments.
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publishDate 2012-01-01
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series Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
spelling doaj-art-c0b6053f5bfc4cf7be9729074e1ff5b42025-02-03T06:14:09ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382012-01-01201210.1155/2012/780713780713Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna BoundaryKarine S. Carvalho0Ane Alencar1Jennifer Balch2Paulo Moutinho3Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Avenida José Moreira Sobrinho, 45206-190 Jequié, BA, BrazilInstituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Avenida Nazaré 669, 66035-170 Belém, PA, BrazilWoods Hole Research Center, 149 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth, MA 02450, USAInstituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Avenida Nazaré 669, 66035-170 Belém, PA, BrazilLeaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.) remove leaf litter and woody debris—potential fuels—in and around their nests and foraging trails. We conducted single and three annual experimental fires to determine the effects of this leaf-cutter ant activity on the behavior of low-intensity, slow-moving fires. In a transitional forest, where the southern Amazon forest meets the Brazilian savanna, we tested whether leaf-cutter ant nests and trails (i) inhibit fire spread due to a lack of fuels, and (ii), thereby, reduce the total burned area during these experimental low-intensity fires, particularly at forest edges where leaf-cutter ant abundance was higher. Fine-medium fuel mass increased with an increase in distance from ant nest, and the mean area of bare soil was greater on nests than on the forest floor. Between 60 to 90 percent of the unburned area was within 30 m of ant nests, and burned area significantly increased with increasing distance to ant nests. In addition, the number of ant nests declined with increasing distance from the forest edge, and, with exception of the first experimental fire, burned area also increased with increasing distance from the edge. The present study provides new insight to fire ecology in Amazon environments.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/780713
spellingShingle Karine S. Carvalho
Ane Alencar
Jennifer Balch
Paulo Moutinho
Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary
Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
title Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary
title_full Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary
title_fullStr Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary
title_full_unstemmed Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary
title_short Leafcutter Ant Nests Inhibit Low-Intensity Fire Spread in the Understory of Transitional Forests at the Amazon's Forest-Savanna Boundary
title_sort leafcutter ant nests inhibit low intensity fire spread in the understory of transitional forests at the amazon s forest savanna boundary
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/780713
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